The Economics of Climate Change is an introductory course into the economic assessment of climate change impacts and optimal mitigation and adaptation response. Welfare-economic concepts such as cost-benefit analysis, (inter-generational) discounting, non-market valuation, and different concepts of social welfare are applied to understand the impact of climate change and climate change mitigation on long-term welfare and growth. Since these concepts can be applied to many public policy problems, the course is also an introduction into intertemporal welfare theory and public economics.

The Economics of Climate Change is taught in the summer semester. In the winter semester, there is a complementary course on The Economics of Climate Policy. That course takes a decentralized policy perspective, discussing incentives, policy instruments, and game theory.